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An American Dictionary of the English Language

by Noah Webster

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

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  1. Shē'a-tree, n.p. 1216(Bot.) An African tree of the genus Bassia (B. Parkii), from the seeds of which a substance resembling butter is obtained; the butter-tree. Baird.
  2. Shēave, n.p. 1216A wheel in a block, rail, mast, yard, &c., on which a rope works; the wheel of a pulley.
  3. Shēave, v. t.p. 1216To bring together; to collect. [Obs.] Ashmole.
  4. Shēaved, a.p. 1216Made of straw. [Obs.] Shak.
  5. Shēave'-hōle, n.p. 1216A channel cut in a mast, yard, or other timber, in which to fix a sheave.
  6. Shēb'an-der, n.p. 1216A Dutch commercial officer in the East Indies.
  7. She-chi'nah, n.p. 1216See SHEKINAH.
  8. Shēck'la-ton, n.p. 1216A kind of gilt leather. [Obs.] Spenser.
  9. Shĕd, v. t.p. 1216To cause to emanate, proceed, or flow out; especially, to throw off or give forth from one's self; to emit; diffuse. Did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's blood? Shak. 2. To let fall; to throw off, as a…
  10. Shĕd, v. i.p. 1216To let fall the parts; to throw off a covering or envelope. Wild oats are apt to shed most as they lie, and black as they stand. Mortimer.
  11. Shĕd, n.p. 1216The act of shedding or causing to flow;— used only in composition; as, blood-shed.
  12. Shĕd, n.p. 1216A slight or temporary erection built to shelter something; an out-building; a hut. “The first Aletes born in lowly shed.” Fairfax. “Sheds of reeds which summer’s heat repel.” Sandys. 2. (Weaving.)…
  13. Shĕd'der, n.p. 1216One who sheds or causes to flow out; as, a shedder of blood.
  14. Shĕd'dĭng, n.p. 1216The act of shedding or casting off or out. 2. That which is shed or cast off. [Rare.]
  15. Sheel'ing, n.p. 1216A hut or small cottage such as is used by shepherds in the field, or by fishermen upon the shore; a cottage; a shed.
  16. Sheen, n.p. 1216Bright; glittering; showy. [Rare, except in poetry.] Up rose each warrior bold and brave, Glittering in filed steel and armor sheen. Fairfax.
  17. Sheen, v. i.p. 1216To shine; to glisten. [Poet. and rare.] This town, That, sheening far, celestial seems to be. Byron.
  18. Sheen, n.p. 1216Brightness; splendor. “Throned in celestial sheen.” Milton.
  19. Sheen'ly, adv.p. 1216Brightly. [Rare.] Browning.
  20. Sheen'y, a.p. 1216Sheen; bright; shining. “The sheeny summer morn.” Tennyson.
  21. Sheep, n. sing. & pl.p. 1216(Zoöl.) A small ruminant quadruped, valued for its flesh and wool, the common sheep being Ovis aries, of which there are many varieties. ☞ The sheep is allied to the goat, having, like it, no…
  22. Sheep'-bér'ry, n.p. 1216(Bot.) A small tree of the genus Viburnum (V. lentago), having white flowers in flat cymes, and edible fruit. Gray.
  23. Sheep'-bite, v. i.p. 1216To bite or nibble like a sheep; hence, to practice petty thefts. [Obs.] Shak.
  24. Sheep'-bit'er, n.p. 1216One who practices petty thefts. [Obs.] Shak.
  25. Sheep'-cōt, n.p. 1216A small inclosure for sheep; a pen.
  26. Sheep'-fāced, a.p. 1216Excessively bashful; sheepish.
  27. Sheep'-fōld, n.p. 1216A fold or pen for sheep; a place where sheep are collected or confined.
  28. Sheep'-hōōk, n.p. 1216A hook fastened to a pole, by which shepherds lay hold on the legs of their sheep; a shepherd's crook.
  29. Sheep'ish, a.p. 1216Pertaining to sheep. [Obs.] Stafford. 2. Like a sheep; bashful; timorous to excess; over-modest; meanly or foolishly diffident. Wanting change of company, he will, when he comes abroad, be a sheepish…
  30. Sheep'ish-ly, adv.p. 1216In a sheepish manner; bashfully.
  31. Sheep'ish-ness, n.p. 1216The quality of being sheepish; excessive modesty or diffidence; timorousness; bashfulness. Herbert.
  32. Sheep'-laurel, n.p. 1216(Bot.) A small evergreen shrub of the genus Kalmia (K. angustifolia), having small corymbs of flowers of a handsome pink color. Gray.
  33. Sheep'-măr'ket, n.p. 1216A place where sheep are sold.
  34. Sheep'-mâs'ter, n.p. 1216A feeder of sheep; one who has the care of sheep.
  35. Sheep'-rûn, n.p. 1216See SHEEP-WALK.
  36. Sheep's'-beard, n.p. 1216(Bot.) A plant of the genus Tragopogon.
  37. Sheep's'-eye, n.p. 1216A modest, diffident look; a loving or desiring glance. I saw her just now give him the languishing eye, as they call it; that is, the Whiting's-eye, of old called the sheep'-eye. Wycherley.
  38. Sheep’s’-foot, n.p. 1216A tool consisting of a hammer combined with a lever, used by printers.
  39. Sheep'-shānk, n.p. 1216(Naut.) A peculiar kind of knot in a rope, made to shorten it temporarily. Totten.
  40. Sheep's'-hĕad, n.p. 1216(Ichth.) A fish caught on the shores of Connecticut and of Long Island;—so called from the resemblance of its head to that of a sheep; Sparus oris. It is allied to the gilt-head and sea-bream, and is…
  41. Sheep'-shêar'er, n.p. 1216One who shears or cuts off the wool from sheep.
  42. Sheep'-shēar'ing, n.p. 1216The act of shearing sheep. 2. The time of shearing sheep; also, a feast made on that occasion.
  43. Sheep'-shêars, n.p. 1216See SHEAR.
  44. Sheep'-skin, n.p. 1216The skin of a sheep; or leather prepared from it. 2. A diploma; — so called because the parchment on which it is engraved is usually prepared from the skin of the sheep. [Colloq. and vulgar, U. S.]
  45. Sheep'-sôr'rel, n.p. 1216(Bot.) An herb (Rumex acetosella), growing naturally on poor, dry, gravelly soil, the leaves of which have a pleasant acid taste.
  46. Sheep'-split, n.p. 1216The skin of a sheep split by a cutting knife or machine into two sections.
  47. Sheep'-sēa'bi-ōus, n.p. 1216(Bot.) An evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Jasione.
  48. Sheep'-tick, n.p. 1216(Entom.) An insect of the family Hippoboscidæ, common in pasture grounds in early summer. It fixes its head in the skin of the sheep, extracting the blood, and leaving a tumor.
  49. Sheep'-walk, n.p. 1216Pasture for sheep; a place where sheep feed; — called also sheep-run.
  50. Sheep'y, a.p. 1216Pertaining to, or resembling, sheep; sheepish.
  51. Sheer, a.p. 1216Separate from any thing foreign; unmingled; pure; clear. “A fountain sheer.” Spenser. “Sheer ale.” Shak. 2. Being only what it seems to be; simple; mere; unrelieved. Here is a necessity, on the one…
  52. Sheer, adv.p. 1216Clean; quite; at once. [Obs.] Milton.
  53. Sheer, v. t.p. 1216To shear. [Obs.]
  54. Sheer, v. i.p. 1216To decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to turn aside; as, a ship sheers from her course; a horse sheers at a stone. To sheer off, to turn or move aside to a distance. — To sheer…
  55. Sheer, n.p. 1216(Naut.) (a.) The longitudinal curve or bend of a ship’s deck or sides. (b.) The position in which a ship is sometimes kept at single anchor, to keep her clear of it. 2. (pl.) Shears. See SHEAR. To…
  56. Sheer'-hŭlk, n.p. 1216See SHEAR-HULK.
  57. Sheer'ly, adv.p. 1216At once; quite; absolutely. [Obs.]
  58. Sheer'-strāke, n.p. 1216(Ship-building.) The strake under the gunwale on the top side. Totten.
  59. Sheer'wa-ter, n.p. 1216(Ornith.) The same as SHEAR-WATER.
  60. Sheet, n.p. 1216In general, any broad, uninterrupted expanse; any expanded superficies; hence, specifically, (a.) A broad piece of cloth used as a part of bed furniture, next to the body. Shroud me in one of those…